Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story

Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story
GenreBiography
Drama
Written byAlison Cross
Directed byJeff Bleckner
StarringGlenn Close
Judy Davis
Jan Rubeš
Wendy Makkena
Susan Barnes
Theme music composerDavid Shire
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersGlenn Close
Cis Corman
Neil Meron
Barbra Streisand
Craig Zadan
ProducerRichard Heus
Production locationVancouver
CinematographyGlen MacPherson
EditorGeoffrey Rowland
Running time91 minutes
Production companiesBarwood Films
Storyline Productions
Trillium Productions
TriStar Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseFebruary 6, 1995 (1995-02-06)

Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story is a 1995 American television film directed by Jeff Bleckner. It aired on NBC on February 6, 1995, and stars Glenn Close, Judy Davis, Jan Rubeš, and Wendy Makkena. The film won several awards in 1995, such as three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, and later received a GLAAD Media Award in 1996.

Plot summary

The film recounts the events in the life of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer which led to her retirement[1] from the Washington National Guard under the U.S. military's gay exclusion policy.[2][3] It begins in 1988, when Cammermeyer, a decorated nurse and officer, meets painter Diane Divelbess and accepts her lesbian identity. After she discloses this during a security clearance interview, the Army starts discharge proceedings. The film shows her legal challenge and the support she receives from family and colleagues under the pre‑"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.[4]

Cast and crew

NameRole/Credit
Glenn Closeas Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer / Executive producer
Judy Davisas Diane Divelbess
Jan Rubešas Far
Wendy Makkenaas Mary Newcombe
Susan Barnesas Captain Kern
Eric Daneas Matt
Ryan Reynoldsas Andy
Molly Parkeras Lynette
Jim Byrnesas Vet
Alison CrossWriter
Jeff BlecknerDirector
David ShireTheme music composer
Glen MacPhersonCinematography
Geoffrey RowlandEditor
Richard HeusProducer
Cis CormanExecutive producer
Neil MeronExecutive producer
Barbra StreisandExecutive producer
Craig ZadanExecutive producer

Background

In 1989, Army nurse Margarethe Cammermeyer disclosed her homosexuality during a security clearance interview and was discharged under military regulations. She became the highest‑ranking officer removed for sexual orientation. In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and in 1994 a federal judge in Seattle ordered her reinstatement. Her case and its public attention led to the production of the television film.[5]

Production

The film was produced in 1995 for NBC by Barbra Streisand in her television producing debut, with Glenn Close, Cis Corman, Neil Meron, and Craig Zadan as executive producers. Alison Cross wrote the script after meeting Cammermeyer and her family in Seattle, and Jeff Bleckner directed. Filming took place in Vancouver, with Cammermeyer visiting the set to advise Close on military detail.[5]

Release

Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story premiered on NBC on February 6, 1995.[6]

Reception

Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called the film "tedious" and lacking dramatic tension, while reader Dave Hutchinson, in a letter to the editor, noted Glenn Close’s performance and described Cammermeyer as a role model rather than a stereotype.[6]

The New York Times critic John J. O'Connor wrote that, despite the limits of the television movie format, Serving in Silence featured strong performances by Glenn Close and Judy Davis. He described Close’s performance as showing "unwavering integrity" and Davis as giving Diane a "hard‑as‑nails vulnerability."[7]

Jonathan Taylor of Variety described Serving in Silence as an issue‑oriented television movie that, despite strong lead performances by Glenn Close and Judy Davis, was "safe" and "staid" and lacked passion.[4]

Legacy

Margarethe Cammermeyer, according to The Seattle Times, earned a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Washington in 1991, serves on Whidbey’s hospital commission, and was inducted into the Washington State Nurses’ Association Hall of Fame in 2014.[8]

Source material

The film is based on Cammermeyer’s memoir Serving in Silence (Viking Books, 1994), co‑written with Chris Fisher. Publishers Weekly described it as "one of the finest military coming‑out books published so far." ISBN 978-0-670-85167-6.[9]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1995
 Artios Awards Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week Valorie Massalas Won [10]
Peabody Awards NBC, Barwood Films Ltd.,
Story Line Productions Inc., and
Trillium Productions Inc.,
in association with TriStar Television		 Won [11]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Barbra Streisand, Glenn Close, Craig Zadan,
Neil Meron, Cis Corman, and Richard Heus		 Nominated [12]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Glenn Close Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Judy Davis Won[a]
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special Jeff Bleckner Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special Alison Cross Won
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special –
Single Camera Production		 Geoffrey Rowland Nominated
1996
 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Television Movie Won [13]
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [14]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Glenn Close Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Judy Davis Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Glenn Close Nominated [15]
Writers Guild of America Awards Original Long Form Alison Cross Nominated [16]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Cammermeyer's website
  2. ↑ Lisa Tendrich Frank An Encyclopedia of American Women at War: From the Home Front to the battlefields, p. 120, at Google Books
  3. ↑ "Margarethe Cammermeyer". www.wsna.org. Washington State Nurses Association. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Taylor, Jonathan (February 2, 1995). "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story". Variety. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  5. 1 2 King, Susan (February 5, 1995). "NBC Breaks the Silence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Hutchinson, Dave (February 18, 1995). "Letter: 'Serving in Silence'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ O'Connor, John J. (February 6, 1995). "Television Review; The Good Soldier Who Was Also Honest". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  8. ↑ Hughes, John C. (December 2, 2022). "Catching up with Margarethe Cammermeyer on 10th anniversary of marriage equality in WA". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Serving in Silence by Margarethe Cammermeyer". Publishers Weekly. October 1994. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ "1995 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 11, 1995. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story". Peabody Awards. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Mark; King, Tamra (February 5, 1996). "GLAAD Announces Nominees and Winners of 1996 Media Awards". GLAAD. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ "The 2nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Retrieved June 6, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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